NRL 2020, Round 4 | Parramatta Eels edge Manly Sea Eagles 19-16 in controversial thriller at Bankwest Stadium

Fans were expecting an NRL coach to completely blow his top, but he kept cool as an NRL statement has raised bigger questions.

Des Hasler wasn't happy with the call.

The Manly Sea Eagles had every right to erupt over the controversial finish to the game against the Parramatta Eels but coach Des Hasler has kept his cool.

While clearly not happy with the ending to the 19-16 loss to the Eels, the Sea Eagles mentor said he would be calling NRL officials.

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With 40 seconds left in the game, the Sea Eagles put the ball through hands with Tom Trbojevic catching and passing to winger Reiben Garrick who muscled his way to the line.

Although much of the world believed it went backwards from the hands and only floated forward because the players were running and Trbojevic was hit hard by Eels winger Maika Sivo, referee Ben Cummins called the pass forward.

Post-game, Fox Sports reported NRL head of football Graham Annesley had said the call had come from the touch judge and was incorrect.

Annesley sent Ben Ikin a text message saying: “The forward pass call was incorrect. It should have been a try. But it was called by the touch judge just as it would have been last year. A second ref would have had no impact on that decision.”

Cooper Cronk said he was “dumbfounded by the reaction” from Annesley, praising the speed but arguing the statement appeared to be defending the move to one referee by heaping the pressure on the touch judge.

Ben Cummins calls the forward pass

Hasler reacted with a shake of the head and took his headset off, not looking to happy about the decision while in the coaches box.

Many fans were preparing the popcorn for what was surely going to be an explosive press conference but Hasler stayed calm and measured in the public eye.

Whether the same will happen when he’s on the phone with NRL officials remains to be seen but Hasler kept cool and said “it confirms the night we had”.

“We didn’t get much rub of the green tonight and that goes with referee calls and touch judge calls as well now,” he began. “To be truthful, we probably shouldn’t have been in that position coming down to the last play. Probably the first half we were guilty of … there are certain things you can’t do with these rule changes that sort of make errors coming out of your own end.

“I was very impressed by the way this group, this team fought back, they never gave up, so to come back from 18-2 down and win the game, that’s what you’re telling me, we won the game.

“Another thing I saw tonight for the first time was a real inconsistency in the six again call so I’ll be talking with Bernard Sutton and Ben Cummins about that.

“But we were just a little bit off, especially in that first half. We didn’t get the start we needed, came up with a couple of silly penalties and straight away they were on our tryline. There was plenty to like about our performance but there’ll be a bit in there that they’ll be a bit disappointed in.”

Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler wasn’t happy.

Hasler said the Eels played well but loved his side’s “never say die attitude”.

While he was calm tonight, this is far from the last we will hear about this call.

Calling that Trbojevic ‘forward pass’ a howler is so unfair on the refs. It was close enough that Annesley should’ve backed the decision. The #NRL once again throwing whistle blowers under the bus.

— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) June 6, 2020

NRL Head of Football Graham Annesley makes a statement saying the pass was not forward and the linesman made an incorrect call. Case closed. But the result stands and Eels won the game. That’s football.

— PhilGould15 (@PhilGould15) June 6, 2020

Apparently having full-time referees on the sidelines was going to improve standard of touch judges #oops

— Brent Read (@brentread_7) June 6, 2020

He can. Touch judges make calls and the referee can ignore. But at NRL level, with a player tackled almost immediately and a floater, you can understand the decision. No one is tackling about poor last tackle options or getting caught on the 5th four times.

— Joshua Wells (@joshuawells93) June 6, 2020